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Question 3 material Lecture notes on learning how to listen Active Listening

Question 3 material Lecture notes on learning how to listen Active Listening

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Active Listening

Hear what people are really saying

Listening is one of the most important skills you can have. How well you listen has a

major impact on your job effectiveness, and on the quality of your relationships

with others.

We listen to obtain information.

We listen to understand.

We listen for enjoyment.

We listen to learn.

Given all this listening we do, you would think we'd be good at it!

In fact most of us are not. Depending on the study being quoted, we remember

between 25% and 50% of what we hear. That means that when you talk to your

boss, colleagues, clients, students or spouse for 10 minutes, they pay attention to

less than half of the conversation. This is dismal!

Turn it around and it reveals that when you are receiving directions or being

presented with information, you aren't hearing the whole message either. You hope

the important parts are captured in your 25-50%, but what if they're not?

Clearly, listening is a skill that we can all benefit from improving. By becoming a

better listener, you will improve your productivity, as well as your ability to

influence, persuade and negotiate. What's more, you'll avoid conflict and

misunderstandings. All of these are necessary for workplace success!

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Good communication skills require a high level of self-awareness. By understanding

your personal style of communicating, you will go a long way towards creating good

and lasting impressions with others.

The way to become a better listener is to practice "active listening". This is where

you make a conscious effort to hear not only the words that another person is

saying but, more importantly, try to understand the complete message being sent.

In order to do this you must pay attention to the other person very carefully.

You cannot allow yourself to become distracted by whatever else may be going on

around you, or by forming counter arguments that you'll make when the other

person stops speaking. Nor can you allow yourself to get bored, and lose focus on

what the other person is saying. All of these contribute to a lack of listening and

understanding.

Tip: If you're finding it particularly difficult to concentrate on what someone is

saying, try repeating their words mentally as they say them – this will reinforce

their message and help you stay focused.

To enhance your listening skills, you need to let the other person know that you are

listening to what he or she is saying. To understand the importance of this, ask

yourself if you've ever been engaged in a conversation when you wondered if the

other person was listening to what you were saying. You wonder if your message is

getting across, or if it's even worthwhile continuing to speak. It feels like talking

to a brick wall and it's something you want to avoid.

Acknowledgement can be something as simple as a nod of the head or a simple "uh

huh." You aren't necessarily agreeing with the person, you are simply indicating

that you are listening. Using body language and other signs to acknowledge you are

listening also reminds you to pay attention and not let your mind wander.

You should also try to respond to the speaker in a way that will both encourage him

or her to continue speaking, so that you can get the information if you need. While

nodding and "uh huhing" says you're interested, an occasional question or comment

to recap what has been said communicates that you understand the message as

well.

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Active Listening Hear what people are really saying Listening is one of the most important skills you can have. How well you listen has a major impact on your job effectiveness, and on the quality of your relationships with others. We listen to obtain information. We listen to understand. We listen for enjoyment. We listen to learn. Given all this listening we do, you would think we'd be good at it! In fact most of us are not. Depending on the study being quoted, we remember between 25% and 50% of what we hear. That means that when you talk to your boss, colleagues, clients, students or spouse for 10 minutes, they pay attention to less than half of the conversation. This is dismal! Turn it around and it reveals that when you are receiving directions or being presented with information, you aren't hearing the whole message either. You hope the important parts are captured in your 25-50%, but what if they're not? Clearly, listening is a skill that we can all benefit from improving. By becoming a better listener, you will improve your productivity, as well as your ability to influence, persuade and negotiate. What's more, you'll avoid conflict and misunderstandings. All of these are necessary for workplace success! Good communication skills require a high level of self-awareness. By understanding your personal style of communicating, you will go a long way towards creating good and lasting impressions with others. The way to become a better listener is to practice "active lis ...
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